Kingdom of the Zodiac

Chapter 49

Due to the urgency of his Queen's request, Hale explained that we had no choice but to leave immediately for Tempestas.

Though I hated to leave Taji and her people to fend for themselves in the event of another attack, I knew Hale could not refuse a direct order from his queen.

While the journey to the capitol of House Sagittarius would take us several days, it was but an hour ride from camp. Which meant that Eira, Cas, and the others would already be there by the time we arrived.

This disturbed Hale greatly.

I'd offered to fly us there, thinking it would shorten our commute. But after one stern look from Hale, I knew my idea had been shot down faster than a prized turkey on Thanksgiving.

Instead, he announced that we would be traveling via demacia.

Shocker, I know.

I was still stewing from our fight. So much so, that when he'd requested that we share a demacia, I'd declined.

Normally, I would have been eager for the opportunity to be close to him. However, given our recent indifferences, the idea of our bodies rubbing together for several days on end left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and a bad taste in my mouth.

I needed space.

Taji, being the saint that she was, recognized my need as well. She had been kind enough to provide me with a demacia of my own from her royal stables; As a gift for what I have done for her and her people.

After considering dozens of variously colored geldings and mares, only one demacia had caught my attention.

A feisty chestnut filly, who'd repeatedly kicked at her stall door the entire time we were there.

Taji explained that the three year old had almost been euthanized due to her nasty temperament, which up until now, had prevented anyone from being able to get within a few feet of her - let alone ride her. But instead of putting the animal down, she'd decided to let the beast live out her days in solitude.

While I'd known I should have chosen a calmer, more agreeable creature, I could not in good conscious leave her there when it was so clear that all she wanted to do was run free.

I took one look into her blazing golden eyes and proclaimed that we were meant for each other.

Though she was not as impressive in size as the massive creature Hale had selected, my girl was full of fire. Even now, pride bloomed in my chest every time she snapped her auburn tail towards Hale's silver stallion whenever he got too close for her liking.

As we rode towards our destination I contemplated what I wanted to name her. And while I'd come up with a few ideas over the last few days, all of them had been pretty cliché. But as I stared up at the blazing sun above us on that final day of our journey, it finally came to me.

"Sunniva?" Hale asked, shaking his head. "Really? That's what you came up with."

"It means sun gift," I explained, quick to defend my choice.

"She's a gift all right." Hale's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Don't listen to him, Sunni," I crooned as I bent forward to pat her thick neck. "He's just upset because you nibbled on his favorite shirt."

Hale deadpanned on his demacia beside us. "She bit me."

I suppressed a giggle, eyeing the gaping hole in his shirt, right above his left peck.

Sunni also seemed to find it humorous because she tossed her head and snickered a bit as well.

"It was just a love bite," I assured, waving him off.